


There's a light at the end of a hall.

by GimmeADamnMic



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dreamsharing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 18:46:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21360949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GimmeADamnMic/pseuds/GimmeADamnMic
Summary: Once in a while one of them laughs or dip another mid-dance, but their movements are too precise, too practiced to convince Laxus that any of them are real human beings. Furthermore, the room is now filled with chatter, but Laxus can't make out a single word. The more he tries, the less intellegible the conversations get, though this place tries to convince him that they are speaking his language and that he's the odd one for not knowing what's being said.Haunting is the only term that comes to describing the high, trembling notes that the violins bring forth and Laxus wonders if they are trying to drown out some other sound he's not supposed to hear. Whenever he strains to listen past them, they seem to infiltrate his brain, screeching for him to turn elsewhere.When a masked man stops in front of him, he turns to him. Unlike everything else in this room, his figure is clear as day and when he offers Laxus a calloused hand in a rather elegant manner, he doesn't hesitate to take it. Amidst all the cold, doll-like creations pretending to be human, the warm hand feels like a lifeline, so Laxus clutches to it with all his might.
Relationships: Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	There's a light at the end of a hall.

**Author's Note:**

> I listened to In my dreams from Anastasia too many times and was like "I wanna catch the vibe in a fic" and then I didn't do that. But I did keep listening to the song, so that was dope. My tumblr is fairiesherefairiesthere, should you wanna know. Thanks for reading!

When Laxus opens his eyes, he knows where he is, although the room is so dark he can't look more than a foot in front of him. Long windows let some moonlight filter into the room and it catches some elements of the scene in the beam, revealing some glasses, the familiar lacquer of a piano and a chandelier. It's quiet too, not a whisper leaves the mouths of the people he knows are surrounding him. Gentlemen haven't ditched their canes to dance with their partner of choice yet. The dresses are still in pristine state, not a ruffle out of place. If he moved, he could probably touch one of the statue-like people, but he fears that they feel lifeless too. He's glad that the darkness hides them from his sight. The most important asset of this particular scene isn't here yet, so with baited breath, the room awaits him. 

The familiar clicking of shoes on the tiles alerts Laxus of the other man's entrance and his arrival, breathes life into the room. As though the moonlight lit their wicks, the candles on the chandelier flicker to life and with them, the guests start to move, casting their shadows over the walls and the dancefloor. The still significantly bad lighting, combined with the masks and clothing that covers a lot of skin, makes it incredibly hard to assign distinct features to the humanlike figures moving across the ballroom. 

Once in a while one of them laughs or dip another mid-dance, but their movements are too precise, too practiced to convince Laxus that any of them are real human beings. Furthermore, the room is now filled with chatter, but Laxus can't make out a single word. The more he tries, the less intellegible the conversations get, though this place tries to convince him that they are speaking his language and that he's the odd one for not knowing what's being said. 

Haunting is the only term that comes to describing the high, trembling notes that the violins bring forth and Laxus wonders if they are trying to drown out some other sound he's not supposed to hear. Whenever he strains to listen past them, they seem to infiltrate his brain, screeching for him to turn elsewhere. 

When a masked man stops in front of him, he turns to him. Unlike everything else in this room, his figure is clear as day and when he offers Laxus a calloused hand in a rather elegant manner, he doesn't hesitate to take it. Amidst all the cold, doll-like creations pretending to be human, the warm hand feels like a lifeline, so Laxus clutches to it with all his might. 

While following the man in front of him, he lets his gaze travel over his back. Strong shoulders and a head with long green strands of hair. Should he turn around, those locks would frame his elegant facial features in the most refined of manners, granting him a presence alike to a nobleman. As though hearing his thoughts, the man turns around and bestows a little smile upon him before turning around again. The tiny interaction puts Laxus more at ease. He might be among ghosts, but at the very least he's not alone. 

In a quiet corner of the grand ballroom, the man lets go of his hand before offering his own again. This time, there's another question behind it and uptill now, Laxus has always rejected. But tonight, he won't. Maybe it's because the music creeps so deep into his soul that he fears that nothing but human contact might erase it, maybe it's because tonight, the other man's features are clearer than ever and his bright blue eyes so hypnotising that Laxus wouldn't be able to deny him a thing. 

He still hesitates though and he hates how his own hand twitches and trembles with nerves. In the other's eyes, he can see that he too knows exactly how nervous Laxus is about this, but mercifully, he doesn't say a thing about it. Laxus wonders if they would be able to speak in here or would their words simply vanish into thin air. Once Laxus' hand is properly resting on the other's, the other man tenderly runs his thumb over Laxus' fingers before using their joined hands to tug him close. 

Not once in his life has he been a fan of dancing, but here, in this quiet corner with the other man leading him, he feels at peace. The atmosphere around them doesn't change, the puppets don't become beings of flesh and blood and the sounds brought forth by the violins doesn't change into a lilting melody. But the man in front of him radiates with a gentle, undisturbed light that draws him in, a mystery composed of sweet allure that Laxus doesn't even try to turn away from. 

For all the times Laxus has danced in his life (very close to zero), he thinks he's doing pretty well. While he's keeping his eyes trained towards the floor to make sure he doesn't step on his partner's toes, the man reaches out and after letting his fingers drag over Laxus' jawline, he tilts his chin up to let their gazes meet. The eyecontact is exhilarating and after a while, they establish a pretty stable pattern of steps, turns and twists. 

The man guides him into another whirl that separates the two of them for the briefest of times. Because they've done it a few times already, Laxus knows that he should finish the turn and rejoin the man by taking hold of his outstretched hand. Right before their fingertips touch, the other man drops his arm and hugs it close to his chest, looking at Laxus with wide, dazed eyes. Offering his own hand, Laxus hopes the man will take it. He does not.

Instead, he turns on his heels, making his way towards the exit. Although Laxus follows him almost immediately at the exact same pace or even faster, he can't seem to keep up with the other man's strides. As though they sensed something going on, the heads of all the mannequins snap into their direction, tilting their head at an annatural angle, to perpetuate the illusion of a curiousity they are not able to feel. 

As the man throws the door open and Laxus is able to see the light at the end of a hall, the mannequins turn to him, enclosing him. Even when they're so close he can feel their cold mockeries of breaths running along his neck, he still can't make out their faces. A thing he can make out though, are the words they are whispering. "Do you enjoy dreaming?" they whisper as though rotten creatures of the night could ever be compared to a dream. 

Usually he's the first one to leave the ballroom. He wonders if the other man had to deal with these creatures too, all those times he'd decided to ditch the party. He also wonders why on earth the other man would leave him to the wolves if he knew they would tear him apart. 

Looking past the mannequins, he notices shadows travelling down the walls, enshrouding the room in pitchblack once more. Either these beings would get him or he'd get swallowed by the dark. Any other day, he would've laid waste to these dollike humanoids, but his fingers have no grip on them and magic dissipates into thin air. Resigned, he closes his eyes.

The colours dancing behind his closed eyelids alert him that there's a new source of light. Opening them, he sees the door being forced open and light streaming in. Without thinking, he grabs the outstretched hand and slams the door shut behind him. Once again, he follows the greenhaired man's lead, but instead of dancing, they're running for their dear life. Taking matters into his own hands, Laxus smashes a window and pulls the other man through. Finally, they leave the castle and underneath the glimmering of the stars, they both let out a breath they didn't know they had been holding. 

"I didn't know soulmate dreams could be that terrifying", Laxus sighs and is surprised when he notices that he's allowed to talk. Immediately he takes the next leap and tries to tell the other his name. Unsurprisingly, it all comes jumbled and he accepts that that's one of the things he's not allowed to share. 

"I knew", his partner shares with a pleasantly deep voice. Biting his lower lip and with his back hunched, he stares at his feet as though they are the most interesting thing around. "It's been like that since I got to know who you are in the realm outside this one. They try to persuade me to reveal my own identity and since I refuse to, they rip me apart in my dreams as doubt and conflicted feelings do throughout the day. It's a joyful experience, really and it follows me everywhere." 

Although Laxus doesn't want to be insensitive by glossing over his story, there's also a thing he wants to know. "Then why did they aim for me right now?" His partner clicks tongue and looks at Laxus in a both very particular and familiar way. "You know why, you're a smart man, Laxus Dreyar", he chides and offers his hand. One that Laxus has pushed away before, thanks to his own cowardice and other people distracting him by being bothersome.

"Freed", he exhales and the man smiles sharply and tugs the strings of his mask loose. "Thank the heavens, this thing was getting bothersome. Now we can both wake up, stay friends and not speak with a soul about this awkward situation. I'm alright with being only friends." 

"But it's not what you want", Laxus objects and Freed scoffs. "I'm not about to force you to do something you don't want to satisfy my own wants. I'm not a creep." After spitting out that last sentence, Freed gnaws on his bottom lip again, fists balled. Laxus wonders if Freed's heard the same whispers he himself had heard too (he should leave Laxus alone, he's too touchy, overly affectionate, he's bothersome. It had taken a lot of willpower to not go for the immediate kill and settling for decking them across the guildhall).

Somewhere along the line, these throwaway comments (combined with Laxus' incompetency with putting feelings into words) had chipped away at this man's pride and selfconfidence. Left bleeding by these chipped away shards, he'd decided to staunch the wounds by slapping a bandage on top of them and declaring them healed, while the blood still slipped from underneath it. 

"It's not what I want either", he confesses and he continues before Freed's scepticism makes him leave. "For a long time now, I've put more attention to you than anyone else, but never where you actually wanted or needed it. I thought that if I allowed you closer to me, it would be pretty clear what my feelings towards you were without me having to say it. But that's selfish of me, isn't it? It's also damned stupid." 

Freed's already wide eyes get even wider when Laxus offers him his handpalm, urging Freed to rest his hand there. While Freed does that, hand trembling with an out of character discomposure, Laxus doesn't move and provides him with a tender smile that seems to ease his nerves. Once Freed's hand is properly resting on top of his, Laxus tugs him closer, hand on the small of his back. Right atop his guildmark, Laxus presses a kiss and gets awarded with an exhale. "I love you", he confesses, directing his gaze to meet Freed's. 

Those blue eyes are wide with shock and Laxus wonders if there's ever going to be a time where saying that will not be met with surprise. He decides to make a goal out of it. "Okay", Freed simply says and denies Laxus an outright answer. He doesn't really need one though, because he knows how the other man feels. 

"I'm not about to say it for the first time in a simple dream of all places. I'd like to tell you in person, if you'd be willing to listen."

"I'd be just as willing to listen as I'd be to answer 'I love you too'. "

"My, aren't you quite the romantic?" A selfsatisfied grin suits Freed a thousand times better than doubt. Around them, the dream crumbles, but it's not torn apart by faceless creatures or drowned in black. The stars dissolve into a shower of light that engulfs the both of them. "Looks like we'll be going home", Freed remarks staring at the magnificent light before turning to Laxus. Pressing a kiss to his cheek, he whispers : "Good night and within a few more moments, good morning. I'll be looking forward to seeing you."


End file.
